Standing on the balcony of Buckingham Palace for Trooping the Colour earlier this month, the Princess of Wales was every inch the doting mother as she gazed adoringly at her children.
But it was her tender moments with her only daughter Princess Charlotte and their public display of affection that touched those watching the royal family's traditional annual appearance for King Charles' official birthday.
Kate lovingly stroked Charlotte's long hair and arranged it down her back, giving an insight into their warm, tight-knit relationship.
© GettyAnd while the Princess, 42, has the best medical team caring for her, not to mention her strong support network of family and friends, it's her daughter Charlotte who is also looking out for her.
Ingrid Seward, author of My Mother and I: The Inside Story of the King and Our Late Queen, told HELLO! that she believes the nine-year-old is "protective" of her mother as she continues to undergo cancer treatment.
© Getty"I think that Charlotte is really taking care of her mum. It was quite sweet the way she stood in front of her and they kept chatting.
"Charlotte seems to be very full of admiration for her mother, which I think is a lovely thing, too."
© Samir HusseinIngrid added: "Kate and Charlotte are great friends and I think to Kate, their bond is very precious. The mother-daughter relationship is obviously particularly important to Kate because she has such a close relationship with her own mother, Carole Middleton.
"They are a very, very close family, which is something the late Queen really liked and thought would play into Kate's hands and the position that she was getting into.
"She had such a stable family and I think that's what Kate's trying to replicate."
Meanwhile, royal photographer Samir Hussein, who has captured Charlotte and Kate's relationship for the past nine years since the Princess' birth, and who was at Trooping the Colour, added: "Princess Charlotte is very like her mother in her mannerisms and you can see she looks up to her a lot.",
Charlotte is often seen as the one who instills royal protocol in her brothers Prince George, ten, and Prince Louis, six, during official outings.
"She's really taken on that role to help keep them in check a little bit," Samir told HELLO!. "She's definitely a little mini-mum taking on that responsibility as well, which is fun to see."
Robert Jobson, whose biography Catherine, the Princess of Wales is published this August, agreed, telling HELLO!: "She's aware of everything. She's obviously a very sharp cookie. You get the impression that she's sort of corralling them.
"Charlotte seems to be the alpha girl in the middle, making sure they follow protocol and follow what's expected of them. She is learning that from both her parents, but she does seem to be a little mother figure among her siblings."
To the full feature, pick up the latest issue of HELLO! on sale in the UK now. You can subscribe to HELLO! to get the magazine delivered free to your door every week or purchase the digital edition online via our Apple or Google apps.
LOVE THE ROYALS? JOIN THE CLUB!
If you are reading this, the chances are you are obsessed with all things royalty – which is just as well because so are we! So obsessed, in fact, we’ve launched a club solely dedicated to covering them. So welcome to The HELLO! Royal Club. We would love you to join us there…
What is it?
Interactive community offering behind-the-scenes access, exclusive royal interviews, unmissable royal insights, and an illustrious royal Inner Circle.
Member benefits
- Two weekly newsletters, one from Emily Nash
- Video posts and audio notes from Emily Nash and the HELLO! Royal team
- Access to our royal community and opportunity to interact with club writers and members
- Participate in polls, comments and discussion threads
- Royal-themed puzzles with a weekly prize to be won
- Access to our Ask Me Anything sessions with our journalists
- Invitations to in-person and virtual events
- A subscription to the digital edition of HELLO! Magazine (Worth £82 annually)*
- Future ‘Inner Circle’ benefits
By royal decree
You are royally invited to join The HELLO! Royal Club – and then to go forth and spread the word to your fellow royal fans. See you in the club!
